04/01/13: D-FW sports chat with columnist Rick Gosselin

Rick Gosselin joins us at 11 a.m., but ask your questions now and he will have them when he arrives. Thanks for your readership!

by SportsDayDFW4/1/2013 2:47:52 PM

Welcome back to the chat room. Let's get started...

by Rick Gosselin4/1/2013 4:04:22 PM

I personally like the signing of one of our own young stars much more than say doing this with Hamilton. Why do you think that now is when they finally got it done with Andrus as opposed to sometime in the offseason?

by Alan4/1/2013 4:04:44 PM

Better late than never. The Rangers now have some leverage. As long as Andrus was unsigned, Profar loomed as the team's future at shortstop. With Andrus under contract for the next eight years, the Rangers now have the freedom to trade Profar if the right offer comes along. Everyone in baseball seems to want Profar. Let's see ho high the bidding can go. If they keep Profar, he can entrench himself at the second base position and establish a future in the organization there.

by Rick Gosselin4/1/2013 4:08:00 PM

I read that the Cowboys were doing a contract restructure with Doug Free, is this so?

by Bruce B.4/1/2013 4:08:14 PM

I doubt very much the Cowboys will allow Free to continue playing at the financial level is contract is calling for. Either he takes a cut or becomes a June 1 cap casualty.

by Rick Gosselin4/1/2013 4:09:10 PM

Did you see a hungrier Astros team last night? Is it possible Texas' exhibition slate the last three days played a part?

by Giles4/1/2013 4:09:19 PM

I learned a long time ago not to get excited about opening day. It's just one of 162 games. The last week might have had something to do with that disaster last night. But it's a long summer. One game does not a season make. No one was going to go 162-0.

by Rick Gosselin4/1/2013 4:11:36 PM

Rick, is there an offensive lineman that may be rated very high that you would be leary of drafting? And would you still go offensive line with their first three picks? Thanks

by Eric Larsen4/1/2013 4:11:46 PM

Even more reason to go offensive line with the first three picks. The Cowboys gave Romo even more than I thought they would give him -- all the more reason to protect your investment. If you have a $100 million quarterback, don't find your blockers at the Nickel & Dime store. You build offensive line through the draft. If Jerry Jones wants to indeed maximize Romo and make the offense Romo-friendly, start with giving him an offensive line he can trust.

by Rick Gosselin4/1/2013 4:13:59 PM

Would Dallas be looking for a veteran running back for a backup? If so who?

by Bruce B.4/1/2013 4:14:05 PM

The Redskins found Alfred Morris in the fifth round of the draft last April. He wound up in the NFKL'

by Rick Gosselin4/1/2013 4:14:29 PM

's Top 5 in rushing and went to the Pro Bowl. Forget about RBs in free agency. Go draft one.

by Rick Gosselin4/1/2013 4:14:52 PM

How do you only get 15 shots in a game when you are in a playoff chase? Tired of Glen Gulutzan's quotes as if he's an outsider.

by Curtis4/1/2013 4:15:39 PM

Couldn't agree more. Bigger problem is that two of the three best offensive threats on this team are in their 40s. The coach is definitely on the hot seat.

by Rick Gosselin4/1/2013 4:17:25 PM

With the $5 mil in space cleared up with Romo, how much needs set aside for draft signees?

by Mark4/1/2013 4:17:31 PM

I'm guessing about $3.5 million of that will be dedicated to the draft. Still doesn't leave you much for free agency. The Cowboys needed to re-do Romo because if you don't have the available cap space, you can't draft. Now the Cowboys can draft. Any undrafted players signed as free agents also comes out of that rookie pool.

by Rick Gosselin4/1/2013 4:20:25 PM

Would you say that the rangers will now trade or just move kinsler to the outfield if indeed they are signing Elvis to an extension

by Jojo4/1/2013 4:20:32 PM

The signing of Andrus certainly gives the Rangers options. They can now shop Profar or move him to second base on a permanent basis. Let Kinsler finish out this season at second while Profar polishes up his skills on the other side of the bag at Round Rock. Then move Kinsler in 2014. If he continues to play in the field like he did last night, I might move him sooner.

by Rick Gosselin4/1/2013 4:22:39 PM

With that said, did Joe Nieuwendyk do the best he had with the hand he was dealt or is there too much reliance on veterans under his tenure?

by Dennis4/1/2013 4:22:49 PM

I know the Stars would have liked to have signed Parise this offseason. But he's from Minnesota and went to the Wild in a package deal along with Ryan Suter, so the Stars were never really in it. The Stars had been in bankruptcy for several years prior and it would have been tough to fix all that ailed this team in one offseason. Given the financial restraints of bankruptcy, Nieuwendyk has spent his time as GM trying to build up the farm and stock up on prospects. It will be easier to judge him 2-3 years down the road when Oleksiak, Dillon, Reilly Smith and the other top prospects are entrenched as NHLers. Can they be difference makers when they get a year or two of experience under the belts? I wouldn't be too hasty on Nieuwendyk.

by Rick Gosselin4/1/2013 4:27:28 PM

Dallas needs to shore up the o line, it seems Romo makes the big mistake when hes on the fly.

by Bruce B.4/1/2013 4:27:34 PM

With his blocking, Romo always seems to be on the fly and he does make his share of big plays when he's on the move, especially when he can find Dez Bryant. I think Romo believes if he doesn't make the plays, no one else on the Cowboys will so he's still prone to taking chances. Too often he's swinging for the fences when a single or double will do. Whether Romo is to be a pocket passer or a mobile quarterback, he needs better blocking. If you can't block in this league, you can't win. And right now the Cowboys can't block.

by Rick Gosselin4/1/2013 4:30:58 PM

Exciting time of the year for you, Rick. Stars face Ducks and Mavericks face Lakers tomorrow night. Which will you be focused on more?

by Devin4/1/2013 4:31:06 PM

Mavericks-Lakers. This could be their season. Don't even think about the playoffs until you're a .500 team. The Mavericks can get to .500 with a victory over the Lakers. A loss would leave them two games under .500 with only eight games to play. LA also is the start of a four-game road trip. Every game matters at this point in the season for the Mavericks. The Mavericks are more competitive right now than the Stars.

by Rick Gosselin4/1/2013 4:35:31 PM

Is any of the Romo signing Jerry Jones' reminder to the NFL and especially future free agents that he is willing to spend money or was it all just essential to make the Cowboys better?

by Stu4/1/2013 4:35:39 PM

Sadly, the size of the Romo contract will limit what future money Jones has to spend. The signing of Romo was to create money for the 2013 rookie pool. The Cowboys will continue to be strapped against the salary cap for at least the next two seasons because of Romo's contract. This move is more to maintain the status quo than it is to make the Cowboys better. I was surprised a 33-year-old QB without a history of team success could command a $100 million contract.

by Rick Gosselin4/1/2013 4:38:55 PM

Do you like the potential partnership of Texas Tech and Tubby Smith?

by Marcus4/1/2013 4:38:57 PM

Tubby Smith is a quality coach. He'd be a great hire for Tech. Not many coaches take teams to the NCAA, win a game and then return home to be fired. He'd have been a top name on my wish list.

by Rick Gosselin4/1/2013 4:40:03 PM

A lot of Cowboy's fans believe that once Jerry retires or dies that things will bet better with Stephen running things, but don't the Spencer and Romo contracts indicate that he may be just as inept as his father?

by steve r4/1/2013 4:40:10 PM

The salary cap is a mess. But the Cowboys had to re-do Romo or extend Spencer to create money for the draft class. Romo made more sense than Spencer because you'd giving money to a defensive player who was being asked to learn a new position in a new scheme. There's no guarantee Spencer can be as productive as a 4-3 end as he was as a 3-4 linebacker. So you couldn't commit years and millions to him. At least you know what you've got with Romo. That said, the salary cap will be a problem and money will be tight for at least the next two years because of the Romo contract.

by Rick Gosselin4/1/2013 4:44:10 PM

Hi Rick! Do you foresee Ian Kinsler losing his leadoff spot this year or will Ron Washington stick with him for another year. If he's lost a step, I think I'd rather have Martin or Gentry's speed up there. Plus, they may not have his overconfidence that gets him picked off a lot.

by Greg4/1/2013 4:44:11 PM

The Rangers believe the Ian Kinsler of 2011 was more indicative of their second baseman than the Kinsler of 2012. Clearly, he needs a bounce back year. Washington likes to hang with his veterans, his proven commodities. It took him forever to drop Michael Young in the batting order last summer. I wouldn't expect any change at the top of the order any time soon from Washington. He thinks he still has a winning hand until proven otherwise. I do like speed at the top of a batting order -- and the Rangers are going to have to be more aggressive this summer to manufacture runs. But that's not how Wash rolls with his lineup.

by Rick Gosselin4/1/2013 4:48:07 PM

That'll be it for today folks. I've had a busy weekend, a column on SMU to write for tomorrow and some errands to run. I look forward to chatting again next week.